


home is wherever you are

by kindlingchild



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Death, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Heaven, M/M, Memory Loss, cage? tw, death isnt explicitly described though, hylia is here???? i kind of picture her to look like godly zelda LMAO, restraint tw, revali goes soft for link, revali is already soft but like he gets squishy around link, spoilers??, trapped feeling tw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-10-18 19:57:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17587382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kindlingchild/pseuds/kindlingchild
Summary: revali fell in love, only to have it stripped away from him.but he'd wait.he'd already waited a hundred years, what's one hundred more?(link, come home soon.)





	home is wherever you are

**Author's Note:**

> YALL i got into botw and i deadass aint never coming out??? this game vored my sOUL omnomnom
> 
> but yes i love bird man i love link and i wanted to try a new writing style so lets ROLL
> 
> not beta read as usual but yknow what we all make mistakes :"^)

he knew it well.

he knew the palpitations in his chest were not a sign of overwhelming envy, the flutters in his stomach not a sign of hate.

light blue, blonde enveloped his mind, engulfing it like flames upon death mountain, invading his every thought and poisoning his mind with the scent of freshly cut wood and newly bloomed flowers.

he’d always watch with a careful eye when link was seen around the village; watching, waiting for a moment to swoop in and save the hero— should the horde of monsters that clambered their way to link be too much to bear.

but no, it was never too much, not for the hero of hyrule.

brilliant, blinding light blue dashing swiftly through the crowd of bokoblins, slashing effortlessly across their skins, leaving nothing but carcasses and loose bones in his wake.

he wielded his sword elegantly and danced on his toes, each movement calculated and precise— a dance of life and death, and link had always been good at dancing.

when the last bokoblin breathed its final breath, link sheathed his sword, letting out a sigh of relief as he moved to collect the monster remains. he’d sell them later— at rito village, maybe, since he was close by.

link looked up, looked left, looked right; he felt someone had been watching from somewhere higher.

but the peak of hebra mountain only stood the lone cedar tree.

 

* * *

 

_ “revali,” _ he signed, movements graceful and light as always, and revali had learned to see the care in his signs as link signed his name,  _ “i see you watching me, sometimes.” _

revali played it off (he always did, had no other choice), scoffing lightly and holding his wings behind his back. he puffed out his chest with faux pride, “why would i need to watch you, when my airborne movements and sharp bow are far superior to you and your darkness sealing sword?”

_ “that’s what i’d like to know, too,”  _ link signed, a curious glimmer in his oh-so-blue eyes, and revali felt himself melting as the hero smiled gently.

“i-i don’t watch you,” revali turned, fear gripping his heart as he let out a stutter, “are you that arrogant to think  _ i,  _ the rito champion, would bother watching you?”

_ “urbosa tells me otherwise,”  _ and the grin on link’s face grew large, blinding; like every other part of him, personality and all.

“that gerudo spews nonsense with the ferocity of the lightning she summons,” revali tried to keep his composure, tried to calm the waves of fear washing over him, tried to repress the flutters in his heart, stomach, as link took several steps towards him. “you can’t possibly believe her, it’ll be like that time you so foolishly believed her words that daruk had sunk to the bottom of lake hylia and couldn’t swim back up.”

_“he kind of did though,”_ link signed, but his movements were beginning to have an air of hope in them, an air of playfulness and teasing. _“just a smaller, more shallow_ _lake.”_

“hardly the point,” revali’s feathers were beginning to puff up, and he thanked the Goddess that his feathers hid the unmistakable blush creeping up his neck and flushing across his cheeks.

link was inches away now, gentle smile now a mischievous smirk, and revali hated that link could do this to him— hated that he could be reduced go such a pathetic state just with the smile of one boy.

no doubt did their relationship start off rocky; with revali envious of everything link did. how swift he was, how tactical he was, how brilliantly bold he was.

revali had thought that link didn’t speak because he thought he was better than the rest of the champions, but his warm aura and kind gestures always proved him wrong.

and  _ dammit,  _ revali hated being wrong.

it had evolved into something softer over the years of preparation— this relationship of theirs— from mutual distaste to mutual respect, from malicious insults and jabs to light hearted teasing and flirting. as much as revali loved being on good terms with link, as much as he loved being considered the hero’s friend— being his enemy would have been so much easier to deal with.

enemy or not, link was still kind. link was still gorgeous. link was still brave, fierce, and undoubtedly devoted to his work. link was the embodiment of perfection, the living spirit of hylia herself, woven into every inch of his soul, shining through the light of the master sword.

his light would seal the darkness, that was for sure.

in the months of their relationship slowly improving, it had taken revali several talks with his fellow champions, several long flights through the night over the hebra mountains, and more than several frustrated sighs from urbosa for him to figure out that he had been infatuated with link all this while.

whatever distaste for the man he had before had long since disappeared, replaced by adoration and longing, pining for someone he was quite sure would never feel the same way.

revali hid behind facades, hid behind walls upon walls upon walls of faux pride, all to hide the fear and insecurity below. it had been his way for years, and if it hadn’t been for link, it would have been his way till’ death.

but link had to come leaping into his life, blue eyes, blonde hair, soft smile and all, and break down those walls. he had to come open revali up, show his true nature to everyone else, reveal the insecurity and utter fear that lay beneath.

and then link took all that fear, insecurity, hurt— and cradled it in his arms until they were no more. his light had shone the way to a better future, and revali had followed the light; no more masks, no more faux pride, no more fear.

just revali, through and through.

and as revali came back to earth, link’s large blue eyes still staring intensely at him, he tried to take a step back, only to trip over a small rock behind him.

warm arms wrap around his waist as lips are gently pressed to the tip of his beak, and he quickly realises that he’s no longer falling. no— link had caught him (he always does) and was…

link was kissing him.

revali shut his eyes, wings moving naturally, one wrapping around link’s own waist, the other guiding his head forward and pressing their foreheads together.

link's soft giggle rang through his ears, like a melody played by only the best of musicians, and revali let himself go.

he loved link, and link loved him.

nothing in hyrule could break them apart.

 

* * *

 

except when it did— and revali banged, crashed, clawed against the barriers that held his soul, trapped inside the walls of vah medoh.

he watched with bated breath as zelda shone her own light on the guardians, leaving every last one across the field broken and weary.

he felt tears brim his eyes, even in spirit form, as link crumpled to the ground, body weak and eyes half-shut.

_ link! you have to get up! link! _ , he wanted to yell, but to no avail— his words were trapped within his own divine beast, his hopes and wishes encaged in the beast he had been so proud to fall his own.

he watched in horror as link took his final breath, like hyrule had been crushed, as if hylia herself were cursing revali, and he fell to his knees.

zelda ordered two sheikah clan members to take link away— to where, he was not sure, but he was certain zelda knew what she was doing.

she always did.

 

* * *

 

it was a hundred years before revali felt his presence again.

his spirit, so strong, so courageous— awoken gently in the midst of the great plateau.

_ it can’t be,  _ he thought, walking over to peer through the translucent walls that keep him trapped within vah medoh,  _ he perished a century ago. _

but sure enough, a blonde haired, blue eyed boy stood alone in the centre of the plateau, with nothing but a shirt, a pair of pants and the blessing of hylia.

_ he’s alive! _ revali jumped, hope filling him with an energy he had not thought possible since watching link fall all those years ago,  _ he’s alive! hylia’s blessing _ ,  _ he lives. _

but then dark red ooze wrapped around his wings, black residue dripping off his feathers, pulling him back to the dark.

_ he may live, but he does not remember. _ ganon’s voice rang loudly through vah medoh, ugly, deep and hoarse. each word sounded like a gurgle, each breath loud and disgusting.

being further away from the walls of his cage now, revali could only see the light shining on a small figure in the plains so far away.

as black and red ooze dragged itself across his face, wrapping around his beak and shielding his eyes from the light, revali prayed—  _ god, he prayed—  _ that hylia would light link’s way.

_ Goddess, be kind. _

the darkness swallowed him whole.

_ back to sleep, champion _ .

 

* * *

 

when the darkness wasn’t beckoning him back, wasn’t possessing his soul, wasn’t whispering curses into his ears and drawing them out his mouth, revali watched link.

he watched as he fought his way (as usual) through countless hordes of bokoblins, watched as he fought his way past the elemental blight ganons to free the other champions— watched as he regained his memory piece by piece, fragment by fragment.

when he had found out link lost his memory, it had absolutely  _ crushed  _ revali.

every gentle touch, every passionate moment, every kiss, every hug, every “i love you”— lost. gone. died along with the rest of hyrule.

but he held out, he had to, had to for link. link would come to him eventually, and he had to wait. even if he didn’t remember anymore, revali did. and he would wait till’ the end of time for link.

he’d already waited a hundred years.

and so as he saw vah ruta, vah naboris and vah rudania climb their way to the top of cliffs across hyrule, taking cautious aim at hyrule castle (swirling, swirling, swirling with infectious blight, contagious darkness), revali smiled.

he smiled because he knew his friends had told link of him, told link of revali’s story, of  _ their _ story, told him to regain all his memories of them before facing his lover.

and when he watched link fly up on the back of a white rito, gliding beautifully (a hundred years did nothing to his infinite grace) down to the entrance of vah medoh after shocking all its cannons, revali beamed.

“making me wait a hundred years is a bit indulgent, don’t you think?” he teased, and the darkness was slithering away from him now, blinded by the light,; the brilliant, sparkling blonde boy with the blue eyes that hadn’t aged a day in the last hundred years. for once, revali didn’t feel the curse of ganon weighing upon his back.

link smiled at the familiar voice, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes.  _ “apologies for the wait then, vali’.” _

ah, “vali’”. how he’d missed that name.

“don’t relax yet, you still have a job to do.” revali’s voice was filled with glee. “make me proud, hero. prove you’re not all just talk.”

_ “you know i will,” _ link signed with his signature soft smile, taking a step forward as the doors to vah medoh opened.

an immediate sense of warmth filled revali’s small spirit cage, enveloping the darkness that lurked behind him, and  _ Goddess did he miss this feeling. _

he watched link with unbreakable concentration, cheering him on every time he solved a puzzle, every time he got to a terminal, every time he climbed his way back up and never stopped fighting.

when link reached the main terminal, revali held his breath, a soft warning barely escaping his beak.

“be careful, this creature caused my demise one hundred years ago. but i had been winging it.”

link giggled at that one, and  _ he still shines so brightly,  _ and revali knew it was going to be alright.

several bomb arrows and a loud, blood curling screech from ganon later, link pressed his sheikah slate to the surface of the main terminal, and revali felt all the invisible shackles holding him back immediately shatter.

the translucent walls around him shattered to bits, the darkness looming in the corners faded into the light that link seemed to radiate, and his wings felt free once more.

link was still staring at the terminal when revali feels the cool air of the night embrace him once again, and he lands softly nearby, taking cautious steps towards his lover.

now, much closer with vision unobstructed by translucent walls, revali realised just how gorgeous link looked (as if he could ever forget), and the rito felt himself fall in love all over again.

“who would’ve thought?” his voice was quiet, just loud enough to get link’s attention, and when link finally saw him, his smile illuminated revali’s soul. “well done.”

he looked link up and down subtly, as if still in disbelief, when he noticed the feather in link’s headdress was dark blue.

_ “you like it? the elder had it as some tribute of your bravery. he gave it to me because he thought i was the hero’s descendant,”  _ link chuckled, and revali chuckled along. how he had missed the hero of hyrule.

“never looked better, my love,” revali stepped forward, wrapping a wing around link, pressing his forehead against link’s. “have this. you know it well.”

green light twirled around revali, one, two, before it gathered itself into a ball above his head and sunk deep into link’s soul.

the hero took a step back, smile on his face as revali’s wind currents brought him high up to the sky, and he laughed as he landed perfectly (of course).

_ “you’re giving me revali’s gale?”  _ link blinked, mouth slightly agape though the hints of his previous smile still remained.

“yes, you’ll need it to defeat ganon. also, it serves as a reminder that i’ll be with you, always.” revali felt tears prick at his own eyes as link’s soul began to glow, and he recognised this as their time being up.

_ “i love you, revali,”  _ link signed, and revali memorised his hand gestures and stored them deep in his heart (each tremble, each graceful swipe, each switch of his fingers),  _ “i’ll see you soon.” _

“not too soon, i hope,” revali laughed, waving as link’s body began to disappear, “but in due time, link. we’ll be together again.”

and then vah medoh was empty— but revali had felt whole again, just for a few moments.

 

* * *

 

everyone celebrated when the darkness disappeared.

hyrule castle bursting with light, a giant beast forming on the plateau, another blinding burst of light and then—

and then that was it. ganon was gone.

zelda and link stood alone on the plateau; zelda in her torn and tattered white dress from oh-so-many-years ago, link in his royal blue

revali, along with daruk, urbosa, mipha and the king stood above them, spirits flickering with green light, as they all smiled to themselves.

“they did it,” mipha whispered and the rest of them feel her relief resonate within their souls.

“of course they did,” and urbosa sounded like she was about to cry.

“a hundred years of sleep ain’t got nothing on the princess and her knight!” daruk laughed triumphantly, “you go, little guy!”

“truly, a worthy knight,” the king whispered to himself, and one by one, the other champions disappeared, along with the king, joining hylia above.

revali was the last one to depart, having not said any final words yet. he gazed at the princess with pride— so, so, so proud that she had finally done it. his gaze turned to link, and he was filled with warmth.

“i’ll see you in a few years, link” revali laughed, and he watched as link turned his way. he knew the hero couldn’t see him, but it was as if link knew he was there. link always knew, somehow. “don’t die too soon though.”

as if he had heard his words, link signed back.

_ “i won’t.”  _ a grin spread across his face, and revali wanted to do nothing more than wrap his wings around link and hold him forever.  _ “i love you, revali. rest well.” _

his body was beginning to fade, hylia beckoning him to return home.

“i love you too, link,” he whispered, final words ringing out as his form disappeared, “live well, in my stead.”

a small tear rolled down link’s cheek, but he wiped it away hastily before running after zelda.

 

* * *

 

fifty three years later, and the champions are sitting together having tea. heaven had been surprisingly welcoming, and they had no problem settling down.

a knock on the door caused all of them to go quiet, and seeing as how they were at revali’s house, the rito stood from his chair and went to get the door.

a powerful energy came radiating from behind his door, and behind revali, all the champions smiled knowingly (of course revali hadn’t realised, he had always been oblivious to such things).,

he opened the door, only to be immediately blinded by an impossibly bright white light.

“i believe you have a visitor,” hylia’s voice was quiet and calm, soothing and kind. “you’ve been awfully patient, and he’s been awfully good at keeping to his promise of staying alive, my dear.”

when revali’s vision cleared, he saw hylia in all her glory, luxurious white robes and golden hair that trailed along the floor, light in place of eyes and wings that stretched much further than revali’s.

but next to her stood a figure, and for a moment revali could hardly believe his eyes.

_ “i’m home,”  _ link signed, age having done nothing to his appearance. hylia had once said that they remained in heaven in the form of which they were happiest, and link looked exactly the same as he did all those years ago.

immediately, revali tackled his lover, causing link to lose his balance. the men crashed to the floor, loud laughter ringing across heaven, and they could hear the champions— even hylia herself— chuckle at the sight.

“revali,” his voice hoarse from disuse, but it still sounded like the sweetest song revali had ever heard. there was a familiar lightheartedness in his tone, one that revali had missed dearly. “y-you’re crushing me.”

revali propped himself up on his wings, face inches away from link’s, a brilliant smile spreading across his face. he leaned forward, pressing his forehead against link’s for the first time in years, but this time he was reassured by the fact that he would be able to stay with link forever.

link laughed, which in return caused revali to laugh, and  _ Goddess, he’s here, he’s here forever, i have him in my arms and i’m so happy— _

revali whispered the words that he’d held in his heart for one hundred and fifty three years.

“welcome home, link."

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> as always! comments are greatly appreciated and my tumblr (more active) and twitter are both kitaguwu!
> 
> thanks for reading x


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